Collections

Editor’s note: This weekend is the last chance to see Making Mainbocher. The exhibition closes on Sunday, August 20. In fashion exhibitions, many things vie for attention. The focus, of course, is on the garments with their rich fabrics, vibrant colors, and sparkly embellishments. But, how do these pieces go from collection storage (hanging on More

Two years ago, Christian Dior in Paris submitted a request for an inventory of our Dior holdings. The House was compiling an anthology to honor the seventieth anniversary of the company, celebrating the work of the seven couturiers who have led the House of Dior since its founding in 1947. This was a big request, More

Collections volunteer Robert Blythe details the history and contents of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Illinois records in our Research Center. During the Civil War, some 2.7 million men served in Union blue from 1861 to 1865. To preserve their bonds of comradeship and ensure that veterans and their families received sufficient More

April 4, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Chicago flag, one of the city’s most familiar symbols. To mark the occasion, CHM is hosting a special event that evening, featuring two flags from the Museum’s collection. The first is from 1920 and has two red stars, as originally designed by Wallace Rice to represent More

Collections volunteer Robert Blythe details the history and contents of the Illinois Women’s Agenda records in our Research Center. The records of the Illinois Women’s Agenda (IWA) shed light on the many and varied activities that characterized second-wave feminism in America in the 1970s and 1980s. Established in December 1975, the IWA was a coalition More